VERA Files
VERA Files Fact Check tracks the false claims, flip-flops, misleading statements of public officials and figures, and debunks them with factual evidence. It also fights misinformation and disinformation spread on the internet. This project is supported by the National Endowment for Democracy (NED).
VERA Files is also part of Facebook’s third-party fact-checking program.
VERA Files is a signatory to the International Fact-Checking Network. If you believe VERA Files is in violation of the IFCN Code of Principles and wish to contact IFCN directly, you can visit the link https://ifcncodeofprinciples.poynter.org/complaints-policy.
Find out more about this initiative and how VERA Files rate its fact checks.
A video on Facebook (FB) claimed that the United States (U.S.) and the Philippines are planning to strike a Chinese vessel sailing on the West Philippine Sea in a “joint operation” that will involve 17,000 troops. This is misleading.
The figures are referring only to gross borrowings or new debt that the government has incurred.
A video of a South African frigate escorted by a helicopter is being passed off as a gift from Russia that has “arrived in Mindanao.” This is false. Russia has not sent any vessel to the Philippines and the two have no warship supply agreement. Posted on March 9 by a YouTube channel that has […]
Two Facebook (FB) posts claim to give away 500 Philips LatteGo4300 coffee machines and ask netizens to join the raffle by giving their personal information and paying a participation fee of P110. The posts, that redirect to a survey link, are fake. Cursory search shows there is no such promo by Philips and neither its […]
A video on Facebook (FB) is claiming to show footage of the execution of the first Filipino who received capital punishment. Not true. The video is actually from a movie scene. The false FB post was published by a netizen in August 2022 and gained renewed traffic this week. The clip showed a man in […]
Two YouTube videos falsely claim that President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos has appointed SAGIP Partylist Rep. Rodante Marcoleta as a cabinet member. This is not true. An 11-minute and three-second video posted on March 7 bore this false headline: “KAKAPASOK LANG DlLAWAN na-SHOCKED! BIGLAANG UTOS ni PRES MARCOS BINIGYAN ng POSISYON CONG MARCOLETA (JUST IN YELLOWS […]
A YouTube video claimed that senior citizens would receive a total of P1,000 cash aid from the Philippine government to help them cope with rising prices caused by inflation. This needs context because not all seniors will receive this monetary assistance. Posted by Boss Balita TV on March 13, and hours later reuploaded on its […]
A Facebook (FB) page is erroneously claiming that Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla has ordered the imprisonment of Negros Oriental Rep. Arnolfo Teves Jr. over the murder of his province’s governor, Roel Degamo. On March 11, the FB page published a video bearing the false headline: “Kakapasok Lang! Iyak Si Cong Teves! Boying Remulla […]
A video circulating on social media carried a misleading claim about divorce finally being “approved” in the Philippines. The video, posted by a TikTok user on Feb. 24 and re-uploaded on Facebook the next day, contained text that read: “Sa wakas approved na ang divorce | Sa nga (sic) gustong makawala jan magdiwang na tayo […]
Four Facebook (FB) videos advertising magnetic underwear that allegedly enlarge one’s penis size illicitly used vlogs by cardiologist Willie Ong and medical doctor Krizzle Luna. There is no medical or scientific explanation to this claim. “Penile growth and development is a complex process regulated by genes, hormones, and environmental factors, according to Weill Cornell Medicine’s […]